How to Get Rid of Vine Weevils

You initially notice the leaves of your plants wilting and turning yellow. Before long, they are showing signs of being devoured. A little bit of investigation reveals the presence of a beetle-like insect, the vine weevil.
Are there any tried and true methods of getting rid of these pests?

What is a Vine Weevil?

With elongated, oval, dark bodies, they grow to about 1/2″ in length. Feeding on plant leaves at night, they are unable to fly and have to crawl up and down the stems of their victims. After 4 weeks or so, they lay hundreds of eggs underneath the plants. Two weeks later eggs hatch and the larvae begin tunneling towards their food source : plant roots in your garden! During cold weather they dig down deeper to avoid frost. They pupate in the spring and so begins another endless cycle. Here are a few tips:

Trapping

Since they feed on leaves at night, it’s always possible to physically seek and destroy them. The problem with this method is that neighbors might wonder why someone is crawling in your garden with a flashlight in the middle of the night!

A better idea is to spread a light colored cloth under the plants. Gently shake the leaves and you should easily see the adults. Immediately place them in a bucket of water, or use some other type of disposal system.

Moisture Restriction

Without water the larvae will die. All types of mulch materials help retain ground moisture. Remove any mulch and only water plants when absolutely necessary. This will have a natural effect of killing all larvae.

Nematodes

Nematodes are harmless microscopic worms that dine on larvae. Needing soil temperatures of 55-60 F, it isn’t optimum conditions to add them to the soil until late summer or early fall. The benefits will not be noticeable until the following spring, but this process can be very effective.

It’s best to get vine weevil problems under control quickly. Simply knowing their weaknesses helps you eradicate them safely and effectively.